One of my complaints regarding Death Cab for Cutie was that their instrumentation is often simplistic, yet fails to go anywhere. With the first two songs of their new CD, they showed that this is not the case. They end Bixby Cannon Bridge on a highly instrumental note, mixing many sounds that resemble some of the sounds of another band, Wilco. The second song, their new single (I Will Possess Your Heart) gives way to singing after about four minutes of being purely instrumental. The lyrics are catchy and the song is simply fantastic. Other notable songs on the album include Cath..., a song about a woman who marries for money, Grapevine Fires, a song about the end of the world, and Your New Twin Sized Bed. The line "You looked so defeated lying there in your new twin sized bed" simply will not leave your heard.
Initially, I disliked the end of the CD, as I felt it ended weaker than it began, which I never like. However, I have come to change my opinion. As a physics major, the song Long Division is sheer genius. "Then they carried on like long division because it was clear with every page that they were further away from a solution..." simply fantastic. And finally the concluding track, "The Ice is Getting Thinner," which is simply fantastic.
What I most love about Death Cab, however, is the brutal yet simple honesty of their lyrics. They do not shy away from difficult topics (see What Sarah Said off Plans for an example) and can tend to have a bleaker outlook on life. This is certainly true on their new CD (see the pessimistic messages of Grapevine Fires, The Ice is Getting Thinner, and Cath... for example). In the Ice is Getting Thinner, the opening lines are these:
We're not the same, dear, as we used to be.
The seasons have changed and so have we.
There was little we could say, and even less we could do
To stop the ice from getting thinner under me and you.
On one hand, I love the message of this song because it is true that in many relationships, not just in the context of dating, we lose touch, we change. And I have recently been challenged to be more real with my relationships, to not just be superficial, but to develop genuine, caring relationship. By doing this, hopefully I can prevent the ice from getting thinner beneath my friends and I. In this way, I want to be real on this blog, but I want to be even more genuine in dealing with each and everyone of you in person as there is only so much that can be said on the internet.
death cab for cutie
